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News Releases
Monday, November 22, 2004
Arizona Seniors Need a Pneumococcal Shot
HSAG - News Release
PHOENIX, ARIZONA—In
response to current efforts to redistribute the influenza vaccine, Health Services
Advisory Group Inc. (HSAG), Medicare's Quality Improvement Organization
(QIO) in Arizona, today recommended that adults should check with their health
care providers to see if they need pneumococcal vaccination.
"Pneumococcal disease is a common bacterial infection
that can be a complication of influenza, especially in older adults,"
said Anita C. Murcko, MD, FACP, HSAG's Chief Medical Officer. "Medicare
claims data for 2002 suggest that 60 percent of Arizona Medicare beneficiaries
are not vaccinated for pneumococcal disease."
Pneumococcal disease kills thousands of people every year, according
to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Almost 1,300 Arizonans died
from the disease in 2002. The CDC estimates that as many as 40,000 Americans
die from pneumococcal disease each year.
"Plenty of pneumococcal vaccine is available," Murcko
said. "Arizonans should call their health care providers and ask if they
need a pneumococcal shot."
Unlike the influenza vaccination, Murcko said that most seniors
65 and older need only one pneumococcal vaccination in their lifetime; a booster
shot may be required for those who received their shot before the age of 65.
"With the influenza vaccine redistribution under way,
it is even more critical that Arizonans receive the pneumococcal vaccine,"
said Murcko. "If you do develop influenza, a pneumococcal vaccination
may give you protection against one of its most frequent complications."
In light of the influenza vaccine redistribution, HSAG reminds
health care providers to offer influenza vaccination only to those deemed high-risk
by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).
The following priority groups for vaccination with inactivated
influenza vaccine this season are considered to be of equal importance and include:
- All children aged 6–23
months
- Adults aged 65 years
and older
- Persons aged 2–64
years with underlying chronic medical conditions
- All women who will
be pregnant during the influenza season
- Residents of nursing
homes and long-term care facilities
- Children aged 6 months–18
years on chronic aspirin therapy
- Health care workers
involved in direct patient care
- Out-of-home caregivers
and household contacts of children aged less than 6 months
HSAG is under contract with
the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, an agency of the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services, to work with health care providers to promote
vaccination against infectious diseases like influenza and pneumococcal disease.
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About Health Services
Advisory Group (HSAG)
For over 25 years, HSAG has provided innovative leadership on health care quality
improvement projects for federal, state, and private sector clients. Founded
by a group of medical professionals in 1979, HSAG is one of most experienced
quality improvement organizations in the nation. HSAG is recognized as an agent
of change in the health care industry because of the company's successful collaboration
with providers across the continuum of care. For more information about HSAG,
go to www.hsag.com.
Publication No. AZ-7SOW-1C-110904-01
This material was prepared by Health Services Advisory Group Inc., the Medicare
Quality Improvement Organization for Arizona, under contract with the Centers
for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services. The contents presented do not necessarily reflect
CMS policy.
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